the kingdom of God.

Paul says, "The works of the flesh are these: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditious, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revelings, of which I forewarn you, as I have told you in
time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God." He does not say they who have done such things shall not be saved,
but just the contrary, for he adds: "Such were some of you, but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified;" but he teaches the doctrine that those
who do such things and do not amend their lives shall not be excused by
any pretense of sorrow and good purposes; they "shall not inherit the
kingdom of God." "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature"--a creature living by
a faith, which worketh by love. It is not simply wishing you were a new
creature; not simply wishing for a working faith; nor sorrowing because
you are not a Christian; but "keeping the commandments of God," that
will permit you to enter heaven.

In the final closing of the New Testament writings it is said: "Blessed
are they who do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree
of life and enter in through the gates into the city."

Paul says, "Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord." And Peter says, "Add to your faith virtue, and to
virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance
patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly
kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity"--and finally says, if ye do
these things ye shall never fall, for so an abundant entrance shall be
ministered unto you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. And John says, speaking of the Christian's hope, "Every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure;"
then the impure may flatter themselves, and presume upon the favor of
God without "purifying their souls in obeying the truth," but they are
without hope in the world. And again he says, "Little children let no
man deceive you, he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous."

So all the writers and teachers of the New Testament, with one consent,
proclaim the necessity of obeying the commandments of the gospel. What a
vain whim it is to think that sorrow and mere intention without
reformation of